Kyle Dozier

Prof. Dunham

English 1201

14 February 2021

Rhetorical Analysis

           The song “What is love” by Haddaway came out in 1992 and drew many people's

attention. Just from the title, one can expect this song to deal with love. That seems obvious, but

love is a vast word that one can look at with many different meanings. “What is love” is sung by

Haddaway and Jaymes Young in two different versions. Haddaway’s performance is directed

towards relationships that portray physical love, merely implying that love is physical. Jaymes

Young’s is more on the emotional side and is targeted to say that love is an emotional connection

that does not last forever.

           “What is love” was first heard by people in Europe in 1992. This song was a massive hit,

and it became the number one hit in thirteen countries. The music producers did not know how

they wanted to arrange this song; however, they knew the essential components. Once they sat

down and worked on it, the final length of time came out to only a day and a half to put the song

together. The music is often danced to, and the “woah woahs” in the background give it a disco

type of feel. A popular place to hear this song was at a club. 

           Haddaway’s version of “What is love” is what everyone expected it to be. The video

consists of Haddaway and a female. Both are dressed in revealing clothing. At this moment, one

can already tell that this video will be about them showing off their love. What has happened so

far portrays that they think love is physical. However, the lyric “baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt

me, no more” is a twist of events. It is a use of pathos, and it brings out emotion. The lady in the
video is dancing all over Haddaway, yet somehow, he is hurt by her love. While he sings that

lyric, she continues to dance on him. This is showing that she wants love no matter what the cost

is. 

           All the attributes of the song “What is love” changed in Jaymes Young’s version. He no

longer gave it the disco feel; in fact, he made it the exact opposite. He sang very slow with a

heavy heart. A repeating lyric in the song is “baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more.” A lot

of songs that have to do with love always have something to do with getting hurt. That is because

a lot of love is broken. Jaymes Young took a dancing type song and made it emotional. This is a

perfect example of the use of pathos. The video's opening scene is Jaymes Young with his wife

as they are driving down the road with a beautiful sunset in the background. Emotions are

already present because the viewer is subject to believe that they are having a romantic night.

The next thing that happens is a car wreck and, five seconds later, a blurry hospital scene. This is

a rapid turn of events, and emotions are incredibly high. There is later an image of a gravestone,

which ultimately leads the viewer to break down and relate with Jaymes Young. The rest of the

video is Jaymes reflecting on all the good memories he experienced with his former wife. His

message reveals that love does not last forever, but many emotions present when love is present. 

           The claims in each of the videos are not similar. Haddaway is showing off physical love,

and Jaymes Young is demonstrating emotional love. Another difference between the videos is

the intended audience. Haddaway wanted a disco type to feel for people to be able to dance along

to. Young’s purpose was to bring out emotion. One can tell that Haddaway’s intended audience

was people who want physical love. One could also mean that Young’s audience was directed

towards people who have true love. A message that can be sought out from Young’s version is to
not take any moments for granted. No time is guaranteed, and every single second should be

valued. 

           While the songs have different intended meanings, there are some similarities. Both

versions are about love, just in their way. Love can be shown in many ways, and the resemblance

is that real love is rare. Both videos give off that message, and it is a critical message for all

people. Love brings out tons of emotions for all people. It can be interpreted in many ways, and

there is no right or wrong. Sometimes love is perfect, however most times, there is pain.        

Works Cited

“Haddaway - What Is Love [Official Music Video 1993] (((●))).” YouTube, uploaded by

YouTube, 19 Feb. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe5q_TdKbsk.

bonD. “What Is Love - Jaymes Young (Cinematic Video).” YouTube, uploaded by YouTube, 28

Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIvvHKp0JNI.